


The Great Gryffindor Anthology of, Like, Greatness, or Something

by floralathena



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Gryffindor House - Freeform, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-08 04:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6839311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floralathena/pseuds/floralathena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Over the years, Minerva McGonagall had dealt with many widespread problems in her house. Gryffindors, in Minerva’s professional opinion, should never have been allowed to live together. They were generally a very social bunch and many were willing to try anything at least once, often leading to big fads and mass obsession. The Great Prank War of ’78, the Great Pygmy Puff Infestation of ’86, and the Great Sexcapade Crisis of ’91 (the Gryffindor students themselves had named said events) came to mind when she contemplated the matter at hand. For once, the Gryffindors’ problem of the hour threatened to spread into other Houses. It was inescapable; Gryffindor House had a gambling problem."</p><p>A collection of the fads of Gryffindor house, as seen through the eyes of various Hogwarts inhabitants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Great Gryffindor Anthology of, Like, Greatness, or Something

Over the years, Minerva McGonagall had dealt with many widespread problems in her house. Gryffindors, in Minerva’s professional opinion, should never have been allowed to live together. They were generally a very social bunch and many were willing to try anything at least once, often leading to big fads and mass obsession. The Great Prank War of ’78, the Great Pygmy Puff Infestation of ’86, and the Great Sexcapade Crisis of ’91 (the Gryffindor students themselves had named said events) came to mind when she contemplated the matter at hand. For once, the Gryffindors’ problem of the hour threatened to spread into other Houses. It was inescapable; Gryffindor House had a gambling problem.  
It had begun with some upperclassmen betting on the future House of young Harry Potter. They were small, friendly bets of no more than a few Knuts. Minerva had no cause for worry. All bets were settled in the beginning of Harry’s first year, and that was that. That year, most betting pools were regarding Quidditch, and some professors even joined in on the harmless fun, betting a free pass from detention duty with one another rather than money. Minerva rolled her eyes at Trelawny’s losses and raised her eyebrows at Snape’s wins, choosing to stay out of the whole affair. If even Albus participated, somebody needed to moderate the supposed adults.  
She began running the pools completely by accident; it wasn’t her fault that nobody else could remember if Hagrid had bet one or two Galleons in favor of the Chudley Cannons. Minerva kept the books and nothing more. She would be lying, however, if she were to say that her inner Gryffindor didn’t get a slight thrill out of mentally putting in her lot and coming out on top. And there lied the problem. Gryffindors loved to test their luck. While not all were reckless or adrenaline seekers, very few could refuse the chance to stand up for something they believed to be true, take a risk, defeat an opponent, and make a profit all in one go. Gryffindors also had a tendency to be stubborn and defiant. Minerva had always been glad for these traits in her house, as they often resulted in incredible Quidditch comebacks. Now, however, they were driving children who lost bets to come back again and again, desperate for a win. As there were only so many games in a season, Quidditch bets had turned to Gobstones bets had turned to bets on celebrities had turned to bets on teachers had turned to bets on classmates.  
Large Weasley-run pools had cropped up regarding everything from Professor Flitwick’s true height (“No way he’s under four feet!” “I swear, he’s three foot ten”), Lavender Brown’s love life (“I saw her talking with Zabini after Potions and they were all over each other” “No, she’s head over heels for Ron Weasley” “I think she’s faking it all because she’s secretly in love with Parvati”), and why Colin Creevey hadn’t gotten a haircut in over a year (“He’s growing it out for the winter”) (“He wants it to look more like Harry Potter’s”) (“It just looks better with his face, guys”). Even Percy Weasley had been convinced to tally up all of Oliver Wood’s Quidditch mentions over a day in return for a fresh set of quills, ink, and parchment from Fred and George (The grand total had been either 23, 32, or 41, depending upon whether or not one counted team names and slogans and if it counted as two separate mentions if both comments were part of one sentence. In the end, everybody who guessed somewhere between 22 and 42 was determined to have won the bet, though many Gryffindors would later remark that the only true winners were Percy and Oliver, who hooked up after spending the day together and later rekindled their romance after the war, turning out to be a rather sweet couple). It was getting out of control.  
Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs alike had joined in. Ravenclaws simply loved to test their theories and earn money, while Hufflepuffs were fiercely attached to their Quidditch teams and favorite couples and would bet big money in favor of them. Minerva had even seen Draco Malfoy exchanging Galleons with a redheaded student or two on game days. While Minerva was glad to see students from different houses voluntarily interacting, the gambling had gone too far. Just last week, the Fat Friar had been driven to tears by Gryffindor students looking to settle a bet about the finer aspects of “life” after death!  
Something had to be done. Albus refused to take action, and Minerva took the matter into her own capable hands.


End file.
